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This is not bad at all. Personally I'd have just gone for "post-rock" over what you said, but no matter, good stuff.

Samples are here

It's good music, but the review talks about it as if it's so many styles and genres heaped up. It's not, it's just straight forward post-rock. You should put that above the review instead of forward thinking instrumental majesty. It's not majestous, and it's not forward thinking. I thank you though, for reviewing this, as it's good post-rock. It's a lot like the Godspeed You! Black Emperor, A Silver Mount Zion, Grails, Mono etc etc etc etc etc etc etc bunch though. As a matter of facts, it's almost a direct Grails copy. Ow, and I can't hear why Agalloch has to be mentioned in this review, as you make it sound like a comparison. Pelican, ok, Red Sparowes, obviously, but Agalloch? :? All in all, I agree with the review on the matter of quality, but the way you've writen it is a little weird, mainly the genre definition and explanation of the music.

Hey!

Thanks for the responses. Maybe I did get a little carried away with the genre label, I just figured I'd spice it up so that more people would be willing to read about this band. Here at metalreviews they let us label it what we want so why not go nuts?

If you get the chance check out the whole album, it might make a bit more sense out of my review.

I haven't heard Grails but I'll make sure to check them out.

As for the Agalloch comparison, I mentioned them because these guys hit me in the same ay as Agalloch did. It's not meant to be a direct comparison to their music. I figured this would appeal to fans of Agalloch, I didn't mean to say "these guys sound like Agalloch".

As a side note, the new Agalloch is coming out next year and should be amazing!

Thanks for reading my review and power to the metal (or post-rock)!

Haha, ok, that makes some more things clear. After all, it's not only a job to describe the review, but also to get people to listen to it, and only a high score does not help too often. I'll see if I can get the whole album somewhere. If I may recommend some more interesting post-rock to you, here are two bands that mix post-rock with warp electronica, very weird and very cool!
65Daysofstatic: hxxp://s42.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0UFL ... 026AL45HQI (change the xx into tt)
Mountain Men Anonymous
I might want to put Ufomammut in this list too, but they don't have warp electronica, just WIERD electronics. Very raw and extraterrestial (sp?).
And then there is The Antarcticans, very noisy post-rock, and high quality as well! Man Or Astroman is also a good example of weird but good post-rock.

And finally Vágtázó Halottkémek! The Galloping Coroners in English. it's not postrock, it's not anything else either. It's something close to trancelike, hypnotizing post-folk, with lots of experimental stuff and metal influences. It's like a more experimental version of Hawkwind, but with more traditional folk in it. AWESOME vocals as well. You should fall in love with this. I suggest picking up one of the earlier albums, they are all great and I still need to check out any later ones. Everything before Reconquering Eden Part 1 in 100% safe. The live album also a great buy. Maybe "Hammering On The Gates Of Nothingness" is the best album to get first.

Thanks for the download and for the recommendations! I'm pretty new to post-rock so any recommendations are helpful.

I'm very interested to hear 65daysofstatic, I see you've labelled them your album of the year so they must have something special to offer.

peace

Thank god for the forums.

Safe! I'd love to hear what you think of it!

after hearing the samples from this album i think of GY!BE but.. er.. more focused. less wanking, probably less "feeling" when they get to the climax, but i didn't mind it.

hxxp://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3QVJ3 ... I3KOI1KXNW
Change xx to tt again. This is an album from Mountain Men Anonymous.

Intro to post-rock

64daysofstatic - Breakbeat mixed with, well I guess the genre has been labelled post-rock. Using existing examples, how about an extremely experimental U2? I thought it was interesting with enough energetic moments to hold my attention. Song titles by lizardtail.

Pelican - I initially like this better. Still lots of experimentation, but more straightforward motifs, very haunting in places. I don't really have anyone to compare them to at the moment, but I occasionally sense some U2 moments. Doesn't lose me at any point.

.. as the Poets affirm - Sometimes I think they are too angsty, causing me to pace around and finger my KMFDM cd.. but the hooks are in place. They occasionally meander off the trail. I would probably like it more if I was in love.

Thanks alot for posting these albums Gast. I might never have looked into these bands otherwise. I've never heard anything quite like 65days of Static, As the Poets Affirm, or Mountain Men anonymous, but they do remind me alot of And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, but with electronic elements.

Ive really been enjoying these bands, it's a nice relaxing break from metal, but not as manic as say trance or industrial. One thing that is missing though is some sort of emotional punch to the music, which will be harder to achieve without vocals. I've noticed that alot of these songs tend to build and build but never really achieve any sort of climax. It seems whenever a song is about to break out of the meloncholy and really become something special, the song writers retreat, as if unsure of what path to take.

What I am really waiting for is for a band to come along and take these unusual song structures and sampling, and apply them to extreme metal. So far we have bands that can produce chaotic wankering (Dillenger Escape Plan, anyone?) but none with a firm grasp on the beauty and tragedy that these post rock bands are hinting at. I'm hearing a whole world of potential here, hopefully someone will take it to another level.

Neurosis
Swarm of the Lotus
Trephine
2 By Bukowski

Those are all bands that are doing something similar to what you are suggesting... Or even Pelican and Isis, although they're slightly less metal than the other bands I've listed.

As for As the Poets Affirm I didn't truly like them as much as other post rock bands I have heard... they didn't really have the unison and power of GSYBE or Mogwai. They don't take the same amount of time with their crescendos, making them much less powerful and focused.

EDIT: OMFG how could I forget Kayo Dot (post rock meets classical meets death metal anyone?) and Maudlin of the Well (not quite as ambitious as KD but more accesible)

Heard "Dowsing Anenome with Copper Tongue" yet? the death metal's been removed, replaced by the coolest postsludge sound I've heard.. it kicks my ass so much that I'm already thinking about my best of 2006 list

edit: i'm so doom that I found myself listening to "..on Limpid Form" impatiently while the king crimson inspired prog stuff was happening and waiting for the good bit - a slow sequence of strummed chords repeated for thirteen minutes..

Man, you must be the best new poster we've had

Anyway, for post-rock bliss try Sigur Rós (probably my favourite band at the moment), Explotions In The Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and for experimental crazy-ass shit try Mr. Bungle and Fantômas.

Enjoy your stay at the MRs.com forums.

Heh, thank you, I will be sure to check out the bands you mentioned as this style is quite new to me. One thing I have noticed though is alot of these guys seem to pluck the names for everything right out of the air. yes I know, incomprehensible lyrics and names have been around since the Beatles, but I am seeing it more and more these days.

Dowsing Anenome with Copper Tongue . . . wha??

From Poison the Well to Mars Volta, it's everywhere you look. I mean has anyone here read the lyrics to some of these bands? Everything from the name of the band, to the name of the album, to the names of the songs, to the lyrics, is all completey arbitrary. It's hard to get into a band when they have no percievable message or aspiration.

Bands need to have at least some semblance of a reason behind why they create music.

Is it to make money and get laid?
Is it to tell stories about unicorns and dragons?
Is it to rebel against established authorities?
Is it because you hate Jews???

Fine. At least I know where you stand. But when you come out and try to say something while at the same time refusing to say anything, well, sorry but that's just plain old masturbation. That is the fallacy of all artists, that whatever thought randomly pops into their heads can immediately be considered art.

Are we dealing with a stream of consciousness, or a river of bullshit?

Huh, I'm not sure I agree with that. Personally I'm going to attack the next band that release a song called "Revolution" or "All I Want" with a breadknife. it's ok to be a little cryptic, it gives your fans more to think about.

I'm glad you liked the samples, I thought that there was a pretty decent amount of emotion in 65DOS and MMA though.

I think postrock is music with a VERY strong message in their music. It's like oldschool punkrock with a actual intelligence to it.

A lot of postrock is about moods and emotion, and I still think these are best transferred without the use of conventional vocals. As these moods can't be sung, the bands often use long expressional songtitles to make up for that. They hint at what direction to seek in when listening to their instrumental emotion. I can see how you can't see the strong message in a lot of postrock, but when I hear some GYBE, I just feel the antiglobilasation oozes through their samples and music. Or take A Silver Mt. Zion, here are some flairs of lyrics for "He Has Left Us Alone But Shafts Of Light Sometimes Grace The Corners Of Our Rooms":

Let's kill first the banker
With his professional demeanour
Let's televise and broadcast
The raping of kings
Let our crowds be fed on
Teargas and plate-glass
'Cause a people united
Is a wonderful thing

And:

Oh, don't be afraid, though the parade
Will not pass our way
It's nobler to never get paid
Than to bank on shit and dismay

Now music also sometimes has other goals: artistic goals, expressional goals, filling gaps in the musical scene, etc. I think post-rock achieves a lot of goals like that as well.

Thanks a lot for that! I'm not extremely fond of (the) vocals, but the music is great! The music reminds me of a more abstract Social Distortion, which I like a lot.

Actualy Dowsing Anenome With Copper Tongue isn't quite fucked up enough of a name to suit the music...

I'm not sure if I like it as much as Kayo Dot's first album, but they're definitely in some weird, indescribable genre of their own now.